Panch Kanya – ideal wives !

Panch Kanya – the true Pati-vratas of India

Scriptures mention five women as ideal wives -

Ahalya Draupadi Sita,Tara Mandodari tatha, l
Pancha kanya smarenityam, maha pataka nashanam ll

"Mediating on the merits of the five great ladies, namely Ahalya, Draupadi, Sita, Tara and Mandodari, helps destroy even the greatest of sins !!"

So say the scriptures !!
But why ?
Why these five in particular ?
What is so special about these five ladies ?
What do they have that is so special as to be able to destroy even the greatest of sins?

Indeed, these five are so special on the minds of most Hindus, that they are held up as the “ideal” wives for most Hindu women to emulate.

Lets examine what makes them so ideal and indeed so special.
If somewhat unconventional, their lives do have a very special story to tell.

Ahalya was raped. Draupadi had multiple husbands. Sita was accused of having sons by another man. Tara was married to her younger brother-in-law after her husband was killed by him. Mandodari was the wife of a serial womaniser.

If you read their lives, one thing is for sure, none of them was a “compliant, malleable” wife. They were not the picture perfect “pativrata” depicted in novels, movies and popular folklore. None of these women stood by and took what family and society gave them at face value. Infact, they held on to their dignity as women despite what family and society threw at them.

Ahalya refused to accept social exile for being raped. She was duped into thinking she was having sex with her husband. How can that be her fault ? Instead of slinking away into a forest retreat to cry over her dishonour, she stood firm, staying in the very ashram where she was shamed and carrying on her good work despite society’s censor. In the end, Rama, considered to be the model of duty and embodiment of correct behaviour, came out on her side and declared her blameless in this incidence. At no point did Ahalya seek anyone’s assistance in her fight against injustice. She let her work speak for itself. It is a telling point that in the end, her husband had to come back to her, not the other way around. Indeed, Ahalya was the embodiment of patience.

Draupadi’s life was full of woes. She was mocked and subjected to all sorts of unkind remarks all her life, yet, she lives through it all with queenly dignity. From time to time, she lashed out at her husbands, her family, society and even at Shri Krushna to remind them of their duties. But, at no time did she cry like the typical heroines of Indian movies, instead, she was the lioness who urged her champions to fight for the just cause time and again. One wonders what she would have done had she had the capacity to yield weapons instead of her husbands !! Draupadi fanned the fires of revenge whenever her husbands seem to “cool off” in the 12 year exile. But, she is no war monger, when compassion was called for, she was the first to relent and forgive Guru-putra Ashwasthama. Her keen sense of justice and “rights” kept her husbands from veering off into sentimentality under family pressure. Loyal to her husbands till the end, she demonstrated how “divided love” can unite a family. Hers was the toughest task as she had to keep together five different personalities and focus their energies towards a great goal. Indeed, Draupadi was the embodiment of “karma – action”.

Sita, the often misunderstood wife and queen of Rama was a woman with an independent mind of her own. After Valmiki’s original, later renditions of Ramayan of paint Sita in softer, sadder tones. Unlike most women at the time, Sita was a headstrong woman, one who successfully argued her case with Rama and her in-laws to follow Rama into exile. Even while in exile, she proved herself up to the challenges of living in the forest. During her captivity, Sita showed the strength of her character by staving off the unwelcome attentions of Ravan for nearly a year. Her spirited speech at the time of Rama’s abandonment alone is proof of her strong, independent streak. It was no mean feat in those days to live the life of a single mother, and yet, she successfully bought up two sons in the ashram of sage Valmiki. At no point did she ask for assistance from her parents, compensation from Vibhishan or compassion from Rama. Indeed, Sita was the embodiment of dignity.

Tara was the widowed wife of Vali, who married Sugriva and successfully championed her son’s right to inherit the throne of Kishkindha. Her knowledge of what was going on in the kingdom was even keener than that of Vali. She knew of Rama’s friendship with Sugriva and had full details of their conversations. Despite her best efforts, Vali fought the new alliance of Rama and Sugriva and lost his life. Being a realist, Tara accepted the passing of her husband and married Sugriva. But, being resourceful, she was not going to let the death of her husband deprive her son of his rights ! In accordance with the social customs of Vanar society, she married the new King and became his chief queen. Usually, the new king would dismiss the sons of his predecessor and insist on his own children getting the throne. But, Tara made Rama and Sugriva guaranty her son’s succession for the dishonourable way they had killed her husband. She kept up the diplomatic pressure on the new alliance to make sure her son would not be the looser in the new rule. Tara is indeed the embodiment of resourcefulness.

Mandodari the beautiful ! She was the captivating beauty who married an aspiring asura king and became the empress of his vast asura empire. Mother of valiant sons, she was the queen of a golden city, on a jewel shaped island in one of the most beautiful. tropical paradises on earth. However, her husband had a roving eye and Mandodari must have suffered constantly by his lust for beautiful women. But, instead of arguing, fighting or making life a misery for her family, she took charge of the situation and managed the ever growing seraglio of her husband with aplomb. Like Tara, she was very resourceful and knew statecraft better than most ministers. She handled Ravan with great skill and diplomacy and retained her position as his chief queen against all odds. From what Hanuman observed, despite her delicate position, she exercised great control over Ravan and was a moderating influence over his tempestuous nature. It could not have been easy living in the politically charged asur court of Ravan. Despite the fact that her rival wives also had scores of valiant sons, she managed further the cause of her own son with great skill. During the war, she counselled Ravan with great care. Indeed, had he followed her advise, he would not have lost his life. Mandodari was indeed the embodiment of diplomacy.

There are the characteristics of great wives as listed in the Puranas – dignity, patience, diplomacy, resourcefulness, drive to succeed, looking out for the family etc. Later descriptions of wives as Rambha in the bedroom, mother in the kitchen etc are fanciful descriptions of poets like Kalidas who had rather a romantic image of what it means to be a woman and a wife. The Puranic description of womanhood seems to be more in keeping with realities of today.

I would exhort all Indians, regardless of their religious affiliations, to read the original scriptures and their accurate translations, rather than commentaries and abridged versions, to get an idea of what being an Indian man / women actually means.

Bhagwat Shah

Source: http://proud-hindu.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/12/panch-kanya-ideal-wives.htm

This article is dedicated to every Hindu for decision making

O Hindu Parents! O Students! Wake Up, Wake Up

By OP Gupta IFS (Retd.)

Under section 3 of the National Minority Commission Act, a Hindu cannot be its Chairman and at least five of its seven members including Chairman shall have to be from amongst the minority communities.

Till recently SC Hindus were entitled to get 1500 posts out of every 10000 posts in Government and public sectors, OBC Hindus were entitled to 2700 posts and ST Hindus were entitled for 750 posts.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes headed by Congressman Shri Buta Singh also favours giving reserved status to Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam but does not want them to be included in the 15% SC quota and wants to further reduce seats available to general class Hindus so as to create a new quota for dalit converts. (Times of India, July 14, 2007). So general category Hindus will get size of their cake further reduced if they vote for any jaichandi party in the coming election.

In January 2007 I returned to India after a gap of thirteen years and was shocked to find just the reverse trend among Indian Hindus, rather than demanding equality in all respects, which was guaranteed by the original 1950 Constitution of India, even educated Indian Hindus have been media managed to push their own children and grandchildren into second and third class status vis-vis minority candidates by supporting such political parties which openly declare that they will give first preference to minority candidates over Hindu candidates in matters of admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities, employment, departmental promotions, student loans, bank loans.....

Right from sixties the educational, employment and economic [E3] opportunities for Hindu youngsters especially in the government sector were being reduced bit by bit by all the previous Congress Governments, pace of which has now been accelerated by the Manmohan Singh Government. And irony is that it was and is being done on the strength of those Hindus who support the Congress Party or its UPA partners or the Communist parties.

What I am saying is not imagination but hard bitter fact adversely affecting the employment opportunities of all Hindu youngsters including SC/ST, OBC and Marxist Hindus.

The Hindustan Times of December 24, 2008 (New Delhi edition) reported that in reply to a question the Parliament was informed that as a result of special efforts made by the UPA Government such the share of minorities in central sector jobs increased from 6.9 per cent in 2006-07 to 8.7 per cent in 2007-08. It increased from 7.6 per cent in 2006-07 in the financial sector (Banks, FIs, RBI) to 10.2 per cent; in the Armed Forces from 5.5 per cent to 8.9 per cent, and; in the Railways from 2.7 per cent to 6.3 per cent during the same period.

Consequently, the percentage of Hindus in the central sector declined from 93.1 per cent in 2006-07 to 91.3 per cent in 2007-08. In the financial sector Hindu percentage declined from 92.4 to 89.2, and, in the Armed Forces Hindu percentage declined from 94.5 to 91.1 in just one year.

Who is responsible for reducing percentage of Hindus in jobs? Hindu students, Hindu youth and those Hindu parents who have school and college going children and grand children must pose this question to themselves.

I served as Indian Ambassador for thirteen years (1994-2006); and, as Consul General for another five years (1980-82 and 1985-88). During this long period I found on one hand a burning desire among Hindu settlers abroad to know about their cultural heritage, about Vedas etc, and, on the other hand burning urge among them to be treated with respect and on equal footings with locals in matters of religion, education, employment, economic opportunities and application of laws.

In January 2007, I returned to India after a gap of thirteen years and was shocked to find just the reverse trend among ?Indian Hindus?, rather than demanding equality in all respects, which was guaranteed by the original 1950 Constitution of India, even educated Indian Hindus have been media managed to push their own children and grandchildren into second and third class status vis-?-vis minority candidates by supporting such political parties which openly declare that they will give first preference to minority candidates over Hindu candidates in matters of admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities, employment, departmental promotions, student loans, bank loans etc.

I shall place before you some bare facts which show that we Hindu voters have been lacking in parental care and have contributed to reducing our own children to second class status by being careless and casual at times of voting. When I brought these facts to notice of educated Hindus most of them expressed shock on their being ignorant of these facts, and, blamed media and Hindu politicians for this betrayal.

1. Hindu students with better marks are denied admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities run by minorities, whether aided out of taxes collected from we Hindus or unaided.

2. Hindus are generally under represented in the staff of minority institutions, and, posts of principals etc. are generally reserved for non-Hindus. For example, the rule of St Stephan?s College Delhi stipulates that a Hindu can not be its Principal and Vice Principal though it receives annual grant of crores of rupees from the government out of taxes collected from we Hindus.
   
   These institutions quote Supreme Court decisions to justify the second class treatment of Hindus in matters of admission and employment. In nut shell, the Supreme Court has ruled that Hindus do not enjoy equality rights in the minority institutions whether aided or unaided.

3. The Constitution of India (Articles 15 and 16) guarantees 15 per cent reservations for SC Hindus and 7.5 per cent reservations for ST Hindus but they are denied these constitutionally guaranteed reservations in admissions as well as in employment in minority institutions with connivance of Jaichandi Hindu politicians, who, are also known as ?secular? or ?pseudo-secular? politicians.
   
   The OBC Hindus have been given 27 per cent reservations under the Constitution in academic institutions but the Manmohan Singh Government has framed rules in such a way that OBC Hindus are denied this reservation all over India in minority institutions.
   
   Now through the Rangnath Mishra Commission the UPA Government of Manmohan Singh with help of all political parties (Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Lalu Yadav, Ram Vilash Paswan, K Karunanidhi etc) except BJP is trying to include Muslims and Christians in the SC category which will naturally reduce the size of cake available to all SC Hindu candidates in schools and colleges as well as in employment in government and public sector.
   
   Further, the Christians and Muslims enjoy higher literacy rate than SC Hindus. So if the Manmohan Singh Government succeeds to include Muslims and Christians into SC category, the SC/ST Hindus will further lose heavily in educational sector as well as in employment sector.
   
   The National Commission for Scheduled Castes headed by Congressman Shri Buta Singh also favours giving ?reserved? status to Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam but does not want them to be included in the 15 per cent SC quota and wants to further reduce seats available to general class Hindus so as to create a new quota for dalit converts. (Times of India, July 14, 2007). So general category Hindus will get size of their cake further reduced if they vote for any Jaichandi party in the coming election.

4. Hindu students get student loans at higher interest rate of about 12 per cent to 14 per cent per annum but minority students get student loan at 3 per cent per annum from the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation under the Union Ministry of Finance. For confirmation please visit www.nmdfc.org. This discrimination against Hindu students has been made possible by those Hindus who voted to Congress Party in previous elections.

5. Hindu youth gets loans from commercial banks to start a new business at 15 per cent to 18 per cent interest and has to arrange ?margin money? of 15 per cent to 40 per cent of project cost from his private sources, balance comes from the bank. But a minority youth has to put in only 5 per cent of project cost as margin money from his private source, other 35 per cent is given by the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation at 3 per cent interest, and remaining 60 per cent of finance is given by commercial banks at two percentage points less than general lending rate for Hindus.
   
   How can a Hindu youth compete in business with minority businessman?

6. This point has to be replied by those Hindus who give their notes and votes to Congress Party or to any UPA Party. For this discrimination those Hindus are responsible who give their votes to Congress Party or to any Jaichandi Party.

7. The Manmohan Singh Government has directed that all minority students admitted to 50 top institutions of India like IIMs, IITs etc (list enclosed) will get their total fees paid by the government but Hindu students, whether leftist or rightist have to pay their fees even if they are members of the NSUI or SFI.
   
   If a minority student decides to join any coaching centre to prepare for admission into colleges or public service examinations or jobs in government and private sectors he gets total fees of coaching centre paid by the government but a Hindu student or his parent has to pay the fees of coaching centre. Details may be seen at www.minorityaffairs.gov.in
   
   As follow up of the recommendations of Sachar Committee, the UPA Government has announced lakhs of scholarships exclusively for school-going children of minorities. At pre-matric and at post-matric level a minority student will get scholarship if he has secured not less than 50 per cent marks in the previous year examination but such facility is not there for Hindu students. According to one such scheme children belonging to minorities whose parents have an annual income of Rs. 2.50 lakh are entitled to get a scholarship subject to fulfilling certain minimum conditions. But Hindu students whose parents earn even less than Rs 2,000 per month, cannot get a scholarship. Such perverse discrimination against Hindus was practiced by Aurangzeb. So, a Hindu vote to Congress Party is as good as giving vote to Aurangzeb.

8. It may come as total surprise to many Hindus that there are many posts under the government which are paid out of taxes collected from we Hindus but a Hindu howsoever liberal or Marxist he may be, he is legally debarred from holding such posts such as posts of the Chairman of National and Provincial Minority Commissions, principals of St Stephan?s Delhi (and similar minority institutions running into thousands and thousands all over India) etc.
   
   Under section 3 of the National Minority Commission Act, a Hindu can not be its Chairman and at least five of its seven members including Chairman shall have to be from amongst the minority communities. This law was enacted by PV Narasimha Rao Government.

9. Section 4 of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004 passed by the Manmohan Singh Government stipulates that only persons from minority communities shall be eligible to be appointed as Chairman and members of this Commission. Hindus have been excluded from this Commission.
   
   It is a great shame that such anti-Hindu laws were framed and passed by Hindu politicians who were elected on strength of Hindu votes.

10. In pursuance of the 2004 Congress manifesto, on March 10, 2006, the Lok Sabha passed the National Commission for Minority Educational (Amendment) Bill according to which the provincial governments will have to give no objection certificate within 90 days of application for setting up an institution by religious minorities, or, else the government will have to specify reasons for refusal. The aggrieved party will have right to approach the Commission which, in turn, will take a final decision in consultation with the State. Composition of even this Commission is not representative to the total exclusion of Hindus and the wonder is that Hindus, howsoever secular or leftist, are debarred from being made even a member of this Commission by an Act of Parliament passed in November 2004. However, if no reasons are given by a State Government for not giving the NOC within 90 days, it would be deemed as the approval of the State. The Act also provides for the right of minority institutions to seek affiliation to any university of their choice listed in this Act.
    

11. The bill was supported by all UPA partners including the Left parties, Samajwadi Party of Shri Mulayam Singh and the Bahujan Samaj Party etc. It was criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party. So, a Muslim institution in a far off place, say, Jhumari talaian in Bihar can demand affiliation to any named central university of its choice and its students will get degrees of that central university and, thus, will enjoy better marketability in the employment market whereas a Hindu student of the same region will have degree of a provincial university having less marketability in the employment market.
    

12. Thus, with votes of Hindu parents, the UPA Government has placed Muslim and Christian students at higher and better pedestal in the employment market than Hindu students. Those Hindu parents in rural areas who voted for the Congress Party and its Jaichandi allies in the 2004 election have thus actually harmed the future of their own children.

13. To increase the percentage of minorities in the government sector the UPA government has ordered inclusion of minority members in all Selection Boards and Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs). Rangnath Mishra, a Congress Member of Parliament, heading a Commission has recommended reserving 15 per cent of jobs in all recruitments and promotions for minority candidates.

At present Hindus constitute over 95 per cent in all services and the Manmohan Singh Government with the help of Hindu voters is trying to reduce the Hindu percentage in government and public sector undertakings to less than 85 per cent. Size of cake for Hindus is being reduced by the Congress Party, that, too, riding on shoulders of Hindus.

Till May 2004 Hindus could theoretically compete for all 100 per cent jobs under the government but now they would compete only for 85 per cent of jobs as the size of cake has been/is going to be reduced by 15 per cent by the UPA for all categories of Hindus in terms of the Rangnath Mishra Commission whether you are a Marxist Hindu or a rightist Hindu, whether you are a communal Hindu or a secular Hindu, whether you are a SC/ST Hindu or not, whether you are an upper caste or lower caste Hindu, whether you are OBC or non-OBC Hindu, whether you are a North Indian Hindu or South Indian Hindu.

This reduction of 15 per cent shall be applicable to all categories of Hindus including SC, ST, OBC, neo-liberals and Marxists as the minorities, according to Manmohan Singh, have the first claim over the national resources, so Hindus shall have access to left overs.

Till recently SC Hindus were entitled to get 1,500 posts out of every 10,000 posts in Government and public sectors, OBC Hindus were entitled to 2,700 posts and ST Hindus were entitled for 750 posts.

The UPA Government is planning to reserve 15 per cent posts for minorities, and as Manmohan Singh has publicly asserted that minorities have first claim over government resources so SC Hindus can compete for 15 per cent of remaining 8,500 posts i.e. 1270 posts, OBC Hindus will get 27 per cent of 8500 i.e. 2,290 posts and ST Hindus will get 7.5 per cent of 8,500 i.e. 630 posts. The upper castes Hindu candidates till 2005 were eligible to compete for 5,050 posts out of 10,000 but now under Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan formula they can compete only for 4,310 seats. And wonder of wonder is that this reduction in E3 space of Hindu applicants will be achieved on strength of those Hindus who will give their notes and votes to Congress Party or to any other Jaichandi parties in the coming elections.

And another wonder of wonder is that without any protest the Manmohan Singh Government has succeeded in reducing percentage of Hindus in job sectors riding on shoulders of those Hindus who voted for Congress and other UPA parties in the 2004 general election.

Thus, it is clear that Jaichandi Hindu politicians have treacherously created such a system in which a minority is eligible to apply for each and every post paid by the State but not a Hindu. A minority student gets student loan and commercial loans at rates lower than a Hindu. A minority student with more than 50 per cent marks gets scholarship but not a Hindu student. In minority run institutions a Hindu is given stepbrotherly treatment in matters of admissions and employment but in Hindu run institutions a minority candidate has to be treated on par with Hindus and to ensure that a minority is treated on par there are national and provincial minority commissions headed by minorities.

Hindu voters have reduced themselves to second and third class status either by abstaining from voting or by voting to Jaichandi Hindu politicians.

It is high time that we Hindus, parents, students and youth wake up and do some introspection. As parents and grandparents we must pay attention to shrinking educational and employment opportunities of our own children. Let us not fail in eyes of our own children and grandchildren.

Hindu voters who do not want to harm the career prospects of their children and grandchildren should never cast their votes in favour of any Jaichandi Hindu politician as in the name of his secularism he will certainly gang up in the Parliament and in State Assemblies to ruin the career prospects of Hindu children.

Choice before a Hindu voter is very straight forward: whether a non-Hindu child should get preference over his child even if his child is more meritorious or has better CV.

Choice before a Hindu voter is: career of his child is more important or his caste.

This inequality inflicted upon Hindu youth by Jaichandi Hindu politicians can be removed only by ballot boxes so you must get yourself registered as a voter with the Election Commission of India on its website www.eci.gov.in or www.jaagore.com if you are not already registered with the Election Commission of India.

And cast your votes in favour of your own children.

[The writer retired in the rank of Secretary to the Govt of India in the Indian Foreign Service (1971 batch). He has served as Ambassador to Finland, Estonia, Jamaica, Tunisia and Tanzania etc and; as Consul General, Dubai and Birmingham (UK).]

Source: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=275&page=12

Hindu temples are being robbed by the gov !

In India, the political parties like Congress, DMK, Communists and their allies are aiming the vote bank of Minorities to win the elections - ignoring the Majority Hindu welfare. Hindus don't pay any attention on such issues but they are ready to vote these parties based on their individual likes and dislikes. If this trend continues, you will find India is a country where anyone can come easily and divide the country in to pieces of land like what we read in the History. The below article is one that explains the facts how the Hindus are cheated by such political parties. It is up to every Hindu to decide what they should do to wipe out these parties from our soil.

Umashankar. K

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Non-Muslims would never be made trustees or guardians of mosques. Non-Christians would never be made trustees or guardians of churches. Non-Sikhs would never be made trustees or guardians of gurudwaras.

So why should non-Hindus be allowed to be trustees or guardians of Hindu temples ?

The government of India, at the centre and in the states, actively places non-Hindus as overseers of Hindu temples. Indeed, Hindu temples are the only institutions to be “acquired” by the government to “make sure its finances are not misused”. Why ? Aren’t Muslims, Sikhs or Christians just as vunerable to their religious institutions being misappropriated ? Indeed, over the years, it has been amply proven that they are more in need of assistance than any temple ! The Golden Temple at Amritsar, along with several others, was misused by terrorists and separatists to hoard weapons, terrorists and anti-national literature. A major government / army action had to be instigated to remove this in the 1980s. Yet, Gurudwaras remain free of government control.

Recently, mosques and madrassas have been routinely used as hiding places by spies and anti-India terrorists. They have been used in Kashmir as safe houses and as arms dumps. Government is well aware of the activities of several Imams who spew communal hatred on weekly basis to muslims gathered for the Friday prayers. No one in the government sees it fit to regulate their affairs by putting a government body to oversee their activities.

Christian missionaries regularly convert people by offering inducements of job, money, housing and education. Often, illiterate parents are promised great futures for their children if they convert and send their children to the mission school. Amongst these missionaries, sexual / physical abuse is well known and internationally documented. Yet, Christian institutions remain free of any control to make sure they do not misuse the trust of their congregation or mislead people by convert by false promises.

Hind temples have never been misused to hoard anti-India people / literature.
Hindu temples have never sheltered terrorists or arms and ammunition.
YET, Hindus have to submit their temple to stringent government control.

Finances of the richest Hindu temples are taken over by the government and are redistributed by them as they see fit. Non-Hindus are places at the helm of these overbearing government committees and all the wishes of the devotes are ignored to please the political appointees. Harking back to the days when muslims and christians ruled us with an iron grip, proscribing our religious life to force us to convert, the politicians of today, are hurting the Hindus.

Hindus should demand that their temples be free of outside interference. Hindus should demand that only Hindus, and only members of their own sect, be allowed to sit on the committees that oversee the funds and activities of the temple. Hindus should demand that they be in charge of how the funds contributed by them, are disbursed.

Hindu temples especially the well known, well funded, are often in bad state of repair. Why ?

Hindu temples, especially in popular pilgrimage centres, are overflowing with beggars. Why ?

Hindu temples, especially in sacred places are not peaceful preserves they once were. Why ?

Hindu temples, once their finances are taken over by the government, are unable to use that money to repair or restore any part of the building without the government overlords’s say so. Pealing paintwork, damaged art works and stones covered over with lichen are all too familiar sights even in the richest of Hindu temples. Crumbling architecture is often allowed to fall before any action is taken. When action is taken, it is often not in keeping with the architectural style of the original and is often concrete walls covered over with tasteless marble tiles.

Security at Hindu temples is lax at best and non-existent at worst. No one seems to care or consider the impact of the recent terrorist plans on our culture and country. Even after Akshardham in Gujarat was attacked, no one seems to take the threat seriously !! Diwali 2005, Dehli was attacked. On 7^th of March 2006, Varanasi was attacked ! The security apparatus in India needs to awaken to this new danger to our cultural independence.

Money flowing into the temple coffers is emptied with equal speed and often the temple priests are forced to rely on pilgrims to supplement their meagre wages, set to 1970s standards. This leads to priests being labled as greedy and grasping. They are only trying to earn a living, denied to them by their own temple boards.

In the old days, temples used to distribute food to the needy, poor, pilgrims and sadhus alike. Now, that their source of funds are ceased by the government, they can’t do the charity work as before. The poor are forced to beg from the pilgrims rather than rely on the temple board to feed them. No social works are carried out by the government to alleviate the poverty in pilgrimage sites. They simply appropriate the temple funds to supplement charities motivated by their politically leanings.

The government, local, state and central, does nothing to help the pilgrimage sites from encroachment. Illegal land grabs, stall holders on every inch of land left vacant and buildings unsympathetic to the environment of the place abound. No rules are put in place to make sure the place is kept noise and pollution free. Shops blare out music of all sorts at high volume day and night. Open gutters, stray animals and lack of dustbins leaves entire pilgrimage site an unsightly mess. The money garnered from pilgrims, should be used to improve the environs of the temple town. Roads should be made easy to navigate and shops regulated to make sure they do not sell substandard items to the pilgrims. Noise and environmental pollution should be checked to make sure the sanctity of the town is maintained. Sadly, currently, none of this happens and Hindus suffer day and night in places that are most sacred to them.

Money garnered from hard working Hindus is stiffened off to pay the minority projects supported by our so called secular politicians. One such example is the Hajj subsidy paid to muslims. Hindus do not get any help for their pilgrimages, yet muslims do ! Hajj subsidy is against the Sharia and is not offered by any of the Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia. Yet, muslims in India keep availing this unfair, un-islamic aid. Christian churches, missions and schools are given government land at throw away prices, where as temple lands are confiscated and re-allocated by the government to their favourite projects.

Hindu leaders, such as the Shankaracharya of Kanchi are unfairly accused to neutralise their power and appeal to the minority vote banks. By foisting unreasonable cases on them, the government hopes to drain them of financial resources and keep them in fighting the courts rather than carrying out the good works amongst the community. The recent case of Swami Ramdev has proved, that the political parties are out to get Hindus in any way they can. Now that all allegations against his pharmacy have been proven false, I wonder if the political leaders who falsely accused him, will apologise ! Hindu leaders need to stand as one to make sure they are not taken advantage of by the government.

Hindus must awake and demand their rights.
Hindus must unite and get the noose of government control off the neck of their religious institutions.
Hindus must form a united front so that the “minority” centric politics comes to an end in India !!

Source; http://proud-hindu.sulekha.com/blog/post/2006/03/hindu-temples-are-being-robbed-by-the-gov/comment/488024.htm

Learning from Lord Ganesha

Out of all the deities in the Hindu pantheon Ganesh, is one of the most popular. He is the ‘Lord of Obstacles’, and ‘Leader of the Celestials’.

Each aspect of the image of a Hindu deity contains a meaning or message. Here we use the image of Ganesh to demonstrate this, and relate it to leadership and overcoming obstacles.

Elephant trunk

An elephant’s trunk is not used to make noise very often. But when it does - the noise is clear, loud and glorious. In the same way it is a quality of a good leader to not waste words unnecessarily but to ensure that whatever is said should be clear, well thought out and profound.

One broken tusk, one large tusk

Ganesh is shown as having one broken tusk, and one full tusk. It is said that the short tusk represents the intellect, whereas the full tusk represents sraddha (faith). The intellect is limited. We should use it to full capacity – but there is only so far it can take us. Beyond this point it is our faith that we have to rely on. Faith does not necessarily imply a religious belief. It is a certain conviction of our heart, a conviction in the rightness of a cause, to go beyond our usual set boundaries. This is particularly relevant when undertaking new endeavours, hence the worship of Ganesh at this time in particular.

Large ears

Large ears relate to listening. Listening attentively to all that is going on around us, as well as to the people in our lives, is an important quality. One of the main problems in interpersonal relations is that we don’t truly listen. Also, we don’t listen to nature, which if we are perceptive is sending us messages all the time.

Mouse as companion

There are several meanings traditionally associated with Ganesh’s strange choice of companion. Two of them are as follows:

1) Equality of company. Ganesh befriends all, including the person who is from a very different species. People who are truly noble understand that we may be able to draw our friends, advisors or colleagues from all walks of life. There is a lesson to learn from everyone, no matter how lowly they may seem, and the Supreme soul is present in all beings, high and low.

2) The mouse is sometimes compared to our thoughts, because our thoughts (just like a mouse) are hard to control, and always on the move from one place to another. It is the ability to control our thoughts, keeping them at one point, which is being symbolised.

One foot in on the floor, one foot raised

This represents the Vedic teaching that an individual should live life with “one foot in the material world and one foot beyond the world”. That means that our worldly affairs should be given due care and attention, but that we should also cultivate a spiritual dimension to our lives which is removed from the ups and downs of everyday life. It is unbalanced living if we set all our attention to this fleeting, impermanent world, without learning to live in deeper harmony with the eternal truths of existence. It is also impartial living is we just pursue transendental spirituality with no care of worldly duties and needs. A balance must be struck where spirituality enriches rather than hinders worldly pursuits. Ganesh, to the Hindu mind, symbolises this balance, where spirituality and worldly endeavours are beautifully harmonised.

Contemplation/Meditation on an Image

The imagery within Hinduism is very profound and contains various layers of meanings. The importance in knowing the meanings behind these is related to our subconscious mind. When we know the meanings, they become stored in our memories. When we concentrate on the image, even though we are not consciously remembering all of the meanings contained within, the subconscious mind is reinforcing these messages into our character. It is in the same way that we pick up so much from our surroundings, without consciously trying to. This is a subconscious process. The action of the subconscious mind while praying and meditating is explained in depth in various scriptures, particularly the Patanjali's Yogasutras. Understood like this, concentration on an image such as that of Ganesh becomes an important and meaningful part of our spiritual practice. Such worship is like stream of clear water purifying our mind and consciousness.

Source: http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/26/Ganesh.htm

Secularism and Religious Tolerance - Only for Hindus

In India, there is a trend among Politicians, other than BJP, to defend the rights of Minority communities, specially the Christians and Muslims, eying their solid vote bank. Parties play different tactics to get the votes of these communities - one can not say which one party is best. Now, read the below article, published in India Forum Discussions.

An English Translation of Smt. Sasikala Teacher's Speech

QUOTE

Now in our cities and towns the prime locations are occupied by churches and mosques. Where are those fierce left-wing ideologues that had appropriated Hindu temple lands? Why don't they grab these lands and give them to the landless poor? Or is it that the onerous responsibility of implementing socialism vested only with the Hindus, just like secularism is? Secularism is now the responsibility of the Hindus and not any others. Only Hindus need bear that odious burden.

QUOTE

Several hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands vested with the temples. Those too were grabbed by the government. But could the government protect those lands? Those confiscated temple lands are now occupied by Christians who are clearing the forest lands for ecologically destructive commercial mono-culture cropping.

What is the use of talking about protecting nature so late in the day? Did not the Hindus protect those precious forest lands as part of temple property? But the Marxist government that grabbed temple lands did not protect the forests.

A vicar was allegedly murdered in Tirutti-parambu village, but the place lying closed is not a church. A temple is shut down. Why? The local church was not closed even for one day, but the temple has its doors locked down. Who do you think is guilty? We, Hindus are guilty. We are guilty of being cowardly. We looked on with indifference and despair. If there were some men among us, men with manliness, would this have happened? If the people had backbone, if the society had strength of character, would its traditional place of worship been closed by any body?

Why was the temple closed? Did the Hindu God commit murder? They want to close temples at some pretext or the other. They resent the functioning of temples, these commies and other anti-Hindu secular politicians, because they resent Hindu prosperity. They know that Hindu prosperity is closely intertwined with the healthy functioning of Hindu temples which are economic engines in their own right. The Hindu temples and temple properties belong to the Hindu people. The Hindu temples should take up the burden of alleviating poverty among the devotees. If Guruvayur temple uses its cash collections of one month, it can adopt a village and remove the poverty of its Hindu people. The temple funds are Hindus wealth and the Hindus have exclusive rights to it. Secularists and atheists have no business utilising temple funds.

About the last bit. 'Secularism' in India is a calculated christian clockwork-operated bomb that's released upon a preplanned trajectory. Despite how it's projected, secularism in India is not an independent mechanism that's ignorant of its effects and crimes ('objective'). It is specifically directed at Hindus.

It's used as a cat's paw so the culprit may remain unnameable. Hence no one calls the 'secular' media or governments for what it is (or even the governance of the christocolonials). In India, christianism commits all its crimes against Hindu Dharma under the name of secularism. ("RamarSethu needs to be broken for .") It's a method pioneered by the christocolonials from Britain. Works like a charm.

And christianism is the puppeteer in the shadows that's enabling and consolidating islamism in Bharatam (and is similarly giving naxals and other communiterrorists a free hand). Without christianism in power, and with Hindus in charge of anti-terrorism, islamoterrorist clubs would have been nipped in the bud. But christianism is curtailing all law-and-order in Dharmic land and encouraging islamic terrorism to sprout all over. Naturally, eager islamism doesn't miss the opportunity to grow in such congenial soil.

The head is christianism; islamism has a borrowed head for now. And communism really had nowhere to grow anymore until christianism decided to water the dying plant that should by all rights have died. There's still only really one head between them, though given enough time the other two may have grown their own.

Source: http://www.india-forum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1317-dmks-and-ap-target-hindu-temples/page__st__40

Every Indian Must Read and Understand

Sanskrit and Indian ethos Patanjali in Pakistan

Author: KS Iyer

Inspite of the fact that foreign marauders have been systematically resorting to murder, rape, loot, arson, forced conversions and destruction of values cherished and nourished by the native Indians, the Indian ethos survived the onslaughts of barbarians with a remarkable tenacity.

FEW years ago, Pakistan celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of Panini, the great Sanskrit grammarian. At that time, the Islamic state of Pakistan boasted that they were the ones to gift the world, the science of grammar as well as Rig Veda, the earliest literature produced by man! Thus, they have tacitly owned a common culture and a common heritage with the rest of Hindustan. On this score, neither Pakistan nor any of their proteges be apologetic or ashamed of historical truths. No wonder, history repeats itself in articulating its aspirations from time to time. It is clear, that Sanskrit is the soul of Indian culture and, indeed this soul is indestructible!

Inspite of the fact that foreign marauders have been systematically resorting to murder, rape, loot, arson, forced conversions and destruction of values cherished and nourished by the native Indians, the Indian ethos survived the onslaughts of barbarians with a remarkable tenacity. When the British arrived in India as traders, India was a country where gold was flowing into the Indian coffers! While the British were amazed at the opulence of Indians, this wonder expressed itself in their textbooks as a nursery rhyme which in later years was incorporated in the Indian textbooks. The nursery rhyme reads as under:

Sindbad, Sindbad!
Where are you going?
I am off to Hindustan!
What have you got?
I have a pot of honey
And a pot of gold!

If the India of yesteryears was a rich and prosperous country, it was because of the then prevailing system of education that provided not merely the skill required for the various trades but also the required high moral and spiritual values that contributed to cohesion and harmony in society. It is needless to point out here that the native pattern of education through Sanskrit in Patashalas was mainly responsible for such a stable society, nurtured by self esteem and native culture of the native Indians.

The cohesion and harmony in Indian society that contributed to its stability, despite its perplexing diversities and made possible because of its spiritual and cultural ethos was sought to be destroyed by Lord Thomas Bobbington Macaulay (during the period 1800 AD-1859 AD) by fostering the English system of education to Indians in general, and particularly to Brahmins who were considered the root of Hindu society and win them over to Christian faith! In this regard, it is worth quoting Navarathna S Rajaram, as under:

"In effect his (Lord Macaulay’s) plan was to turn the strength of the Brahmins against them, by using their commitment to scholarship in uprooting their own tradition." Though this British conspiracy has produced the desired effect to a certain extent, it is our fortune that the Indian ethos continues to assert itself in defeating the nefarious designs of anti-national elements. As a sequel to the efforts of such defenders and protectors of Indian ethos, Sanskrit, the backbone of our spiritual and cultural heritage, is emerging once again as the language of day to day transactions.

The story of how we are coming out of the rut caused to Sanskrit, due to the efforts of Sanskrit Bharati, and their dedicated workers endowed with a vision and mission in their life, may serve as an eye opener to many who are still under the spell of English education.

Source: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=354&page=32

Congress is day-dreaming in Karnataka - Never will it become true

Congress: Don’t play dirty in Karnataka

THE Congress Party in Karnataka is playing dirty, if not crass. Addicted to power, they are unable to stay out of it for too long. So they are trying all the tricks in the trade and beyond to disturb and unseat the democratically elected BJP government. Right from day one, the party has been kicking up one row after another, by its tamed proxies. Now, in the latest, the Congressmen are protesting corruption in the state . Even by its humor standards, one cannot help but smirk. Congress the fountain head of corruption, anguished by corruption, and sleeping it out on the floor of the assembly, literally.

The office of the Governor has always been a situation of convenience for the Congress. Whenever it is in power at the centre, the Congress appoints the most pliable crony Congressmen as Governors in opposition ruled states. Here it is H R Bharadwaj. As Union Minister he was such an embarrassment to the Prime Minister and a pitiable laughing stock for the countrymen, that the party high command found him unfit for a cabinet berth. So he was dumped on the Raj Bhavan. Still, he is too impatient to prove his worth. Understandable. He is so disturbed by the corruption in Karnataka that he has come all the way to Delhi to brief the President (of India not the Congress Party) about it.

This on the one hand. On the other, the party has given the cue to the unit in Maharashtra to raise the bogey of Belgaum. How and why it suddenly became an issue for the Chief Minister is not clear. Chauvinistic issues in India have always resulted in blood bath and mayhem. And it is a clever move because the BJP is in opposition in Maharashtra in alliance with Shiv Sena and in Karnataka it is in power. The Congress expects the BJP to be caught in the cleft stick and trip. Ever since India’s independence and the reorganization of states on linguistic basis, there have been problems between states over territories. They need not always be projected as India-Pakistan or India-China border issues. It is important that Belgaum receives development. It is not important if it gets it under Maharashtra or Karnataka. And if some population is being made to learn Kannada instead of Marathi or vice versa, it is not in any way going to diminish the population or culture of either. Belgaum is a calculated issue, deliberately being foisted by the Maharashtra government, with orchestration being done from Delhi, with the only objective of pin pricking the Karnataka government. It is not out of place here to point out that during the reorganization of the states, RSS Sarsangha chalak Shri Guruji Golwalkar repeatedly warned and pleaded against making language the point of demarcation in geography. It would not work, he had said. He proved prophetic, as in so many other issues.

The behaviour of the Congress MLAs in Karnataka has already crossed the line in decent democracy. While the allegedly ‘honest’ prime minister will not soil his hands in dirty politics, the political leadership in the Congress, adept at playing a double game has maintained silence. A damning silence. If the opposition in India chooses, it can imitate the scene in Parliament which will result in the sacking of at least a dozen ministers. Eating, sleeping and pitching tents within the state assembly, the Congress MLAs have shown what they think of the revered places in democracy. The elected representatives are presenting a caricature of themselves, reducing themselves to the level of street thugs who forcibly occupy premises.

The Congress Party is demanding a CBI inquiry into allegations of illegal mining. Going by the track record of the CBI under the UPA, would any opposition party trust its probe with the Central agency? And what about the 1500 mining leases allotted under Madhu Koda, the notorious Jharkhand independent MLA propped up as Chief Minister by the Congress? The CBI has been blatantly acting on orders of the Congress, booking and canceling cases against political leaders in the country according to their current value for the Congress majority in Parliament. If they are opposing the UPA, they become liable for prosecution for tax evasion, disproportionate assets; and if they support the government, they get a clean chit.

The Lok Ayukta is already seized of the matter in Karnataka. It should be allowed to do its function without the bullying by the Congress. It is forgetting that the men they are accusing of corruption today were their thick friends till the other day. Once in a while the Congress Party also should look within their cupboards and backyards to see how much muck they are hiding. We are not promoting the philosophy that he who throws stone first against sin should not be a sinner. Then there would be no stone coming forth, in politics. But there are decent and legitimate ways of protesting. And Congress Party would do well to remember that others also can play the dirty game they are enacting now.

Source: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=354&page=3

Issues that stand against ruling Minority DMK Government

ஆளுங்கட்சியை அசைத்துப் பார்க்கும், ஐந்து வில்லன்கள்

ஒரு ரூபாய்க்கு அரிசி... வீட்டுக்கு வீடு கலர், "டிவி ...' விவசாயிகளுக்கு இலவச நிலம்... மருத்துவ சிகிச்சைக்கு காப்பீடு... என வரிசையாய் நலத்திட்டங்கள் நடைமுறையில் உள்ளன. மாநிலம் முழுவதும் உள்ள வாக்காளர்களில், ஒவ்வொருவரின் வீட்டிலும், இவற்றில் ஏதாவது ஒரு திட்டத்தின் மூலம் பலனடைந்துள்ளனர்.

ஐந்து வில்லன்கள்:

ஆட்சியின் மீது பெரிய அதிருப்தி இல்லை. ஆளுங்கட்சியை எதிர்க்க பலமான எதிர்க்கட்சி இல்லை. எனவே, மீண்டும் தி.மு.க., ஆட்சிதான் வரும்...கடந்த மூன்று மாதங்களுக்கு முன், அரசியல் விமர்சகர்கள், பொதுமக்கள் மட்டுமல்லாது, எதிர்க்கட்சியினரே இப்படித்தான் தெரிவித்தனர். பரவலாக ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப்பட்ட கருத்தாக, இவை இருந்தன. ஆனால், தேர்தல் தேதி நெருங்க, நெருங்க இந்த நிலையில் மாற்றம் ஏற்பட்டு வருகிறது என்ற கருத்து வேகமாய் பரவி வருகிறது.எதிர்கொள்ள ஆள் இல்லாத அளவுக்கு, பலமான கட்சியாக இருந்த தி.மு.க.,வைப் பலவீனப்படுத்தும் வகையில், அடுத்தடுத்து நடந்த சம்பவங்கள்தான், இந்த மாற்றத்திற்கு காரணமாக அமைந்துள்ளது. இந்த பட்டியலில் ஆளுங்கட்சி -யை எதிராக முன்னணியில் நிற்கும் ஐந்து, "வில்லன்களை' சமாளிப்பதில்தான், மீண்டும் ஆட்சியை பிடிப்பது யார் என்பதற்கு பதிலாக இருக்கும்.

அ.தி.மு.க. :

தொடர்ந்து நடந்த இடைத்தேர்தல்களில், சொல்லி வைத்தார்போல் ஜெயித்து, எதிர்க்கட்சிகளுக்கு அதிர்ச்சி வைத்தியம் கொடுத்தது தி.மு.க., - அ.தி.மு.க.,வில் இருந்து முக்கியத் தலைகளை இழுக்கும் பணியும் தீவிரமா -னதால், "அவ்வளவுதான் அ.தி.மு.க.,' என்ற நிலை இருந்தது. ஆனால், ஜெயலலிதா பங்கேற்ற கோவை ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்திற்கு கூடிய கூட்டமும், அவர் எடுத்து வைத்த குற்றச்சாட்டுகளும் ஆளுங்கட்சியை அசைத்து பார்க்க வைத்து விட்டது. கோவையை அடுத்து, திருச்சி, மதுரை, சேலம் சென்னை என, தேர்தலுக்கான களம் அமைத்து அ.தி.மு.க., இறங்கிவிட்டது. அ.தி.மு. -க.,வின் இந்தஆக்ரோஷம் ஆளுங்கட்சிக்கு எதிரான முக்கிய வில்லனாக -வும், முதல் வில்லனாகவும் இருக்கிறது.

மின்வெட்டு:

தமிழகத்தில் நிலவும் மின்வெட்டால், மாணவர்களில் துவங்கி, பெரிய தொழிற்சலைகளை நடத்தும் தொழிலதிபர்கள் வரை பாதித்தவர்கள் பட்டியல் மிக அதிகம். கடந்த லோக்சபா தேர்தலின்போது, ஆளுங்கட்சி தோற்றால், அதற்கு மின்வெட்டுதான் காரணமாக இருக்கும் என வெளிப்ப -டையாக ஆற்காடு வீராசாமி அறிவித்தார். அந்த நிலை இன்னும் தொடர் -கிறது.முதல்வர் தலைமையில் சமீபத்தில் நடந்த ஆய்வுக் கூட்ட முடிவில் கூட, மின் வினியோகம் சீராக இன்னும் இரு ஆண்டுகள் ஆகும் என்ற உண்மையே வெளியாகியுள்ளது. தேர்தல் நேரத்தில் மின்வெட்டு மிகப் -பெரிய பிரச்னையாக உருவெடுப்பது உறுதி.

இலங்கை விவகாரம்:

ராஜிவ் கொலைச் சம்பவத்திற்கு பிறகு, தமிழகத்தில் இலங்கை விவகார -த்தை சொல்லி ஓட்டுக்களைப் பெற முடியாது என்பது தொடர்ந்து நிரூபிக் -கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சமீபத்திய லோக்சபா தேர்தலும் அதற்கு உதாரணம். ஆனால், இலங்கையில் இறுதிகட்ட போர் நடத்த போதும், போர் முடிவுக்கு வந்தபின், முகாம்களில் உள்ள தமிழர்களுக்கு நிவாரணம் வழங்குவதிலும் ஆளுங்கட்சி தன் கடமையை செய்யவில்லை என்ற கருத்து பெரும்பான்மை -யினரிடத்தில் இருக்கிறது. இதோடு, இலங்கை ராணுவத்தால், மீனவர்கள் கொல்லப்படும் சம்பவம் தொடர்வது, ஆளுங்கட்சிக்கு மிகப்பெரிய, "வில்லனாக' குறிப்பிடலாம்.

விலைவாசி உயர்வு:

கடந்த நான்கு ஆண்டுகளில் பலமுறை ஏற்பட்ட பெட்ரோல், டீசல் விலை உயர்வு விலைவாசி உயர்வுக்கு காரணமாய் உள்ளது. மத்திய அரசில் பங்கேற்றுள்ள தி.மு.க., இதைத் தடுக்கவில்லை என்ற கோபம் தமிழக மக்களிடம் பரவலாக உள்ளது. விலைவாசி உயர்வைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த தமிழக அரசு தவறிவிட்டது என்ற எதிர்கட்சிகளின் குற்றச்சாட்டை ஏற்கும் மனநி -லையில் வாக்காளர்கள் இருப்பது ஆளுங்கட்சியின் அடுத்த, "வில்லன்' என்று சொல்லலாம்.

நிர்வாக குளறுபடிகள்:

பல ஆண்டுகளாக வேலைவாய்ப்பகங்களில் பதிந்து விட்டு, வேலைக்காக காத்திருந்தவர்களுக்கு, பதிவு மூப்பு அடிப்படையில், வேலை வழங்கியது பாராட்டைப் பெற்றது. வெளிப்படையான நிர்வாகம் என்ற வெள்ளைத் துணியின் மேல், ஆசிரியர் பணி நியமனத்தில் குளறுபடி, லஞ்ச வழக்குகள், போலி மார்க்சீட் போன்ற கறை படிந்து, அரசின், "இமேஜ்' சரிவுக்கு காரண -மாகியுள்ளது. சட்டம்- ஒழுங்கு சீர்குலைவு, லஞ்சம், "போலி'களின் ராஜ்யம், விவசாயிகள் பிரச்னை இவற்றோடு நதி நீர் விவகாரங்களும் அரசுக்கு எதிராக அணிவகுத்து நிற்கின்றன. தேர்தல் நாள் நெருங்கும்போது, எதிர்க்கட்சிகள் இவற்றை பூதாகரமாக்கும் என்பதால், "வரும் முன் காக்க' ஆயத்தங்களை தொடங்க வேண்டிய நிலையில் உள்ளது ஆளுங்கட்சி.

Courtesy: http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=46587

But one favorite thing that DMK can always enjoy is., there are gullible voters in Tamilnadu, not only in Tamilnadu, across India., who are ready to support DMK under any circumstances. The DMK will win in the ensuing Election with the support of these gullible voters besides the Minority community vote bank. Christians and Muslims are very grateful people who enjoy more benefits under UPA Govt in Center and DMK Led minority Govt in Tamil Nadu. So, no problem.... Kazhaga Udan Pirappugal may get ready for another harvest.......!!!

New Office Bearers + BJP

தமிழக பா.ஜ., பொறுப்புகளை கவனிக்க பங்காரு லட்சுமணன், கந்தூரி நியமனம்

புதுடில்லி: பா.ஜ., தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்று எட்டு மாதங்களுக்குப் பின், கட்சியின் முக்கிய பதவிகள் மற்றும் பொறுப்புகளை நேற்று அறிவித்தார் அக்கட்சித் தலைவர் நிதின் கட்காரி. தமிழக தேர்தல் பொறுப்புகளை பங்காரு லட்சுமணனும், கட்சி விஷயங்களை கந்தூரியும் கவனிப்பர். நிதின் கட்காரி, பா.ஜ.,வின் தலைவராகப் பொறுப்பேற்ற ஒரு சில மாதங்களிலேயே கட்சியின் முக்கிய நிர்வாகிகள் பட்டியலை அறிவித்தார். ஆனால், அப்போது அவர்களுக்கான பதவிகளை அறிவிக்கவில்லை. கட்சியின் பொதுச் செயலர் ஆனந்த் குமாருக்கு மட்டும், பீகார் தேர்தல் பொறுப்பு பதவி அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. தற்போது அவர், மத்திய பிரதேச மாநிலத்துக்கும் பொறுப்பாளராக இருப்பார் என்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. இப்போது, கட்காரி அறிவித்துள்ள நிர்வாகிகளுக்கான பதவிப் பட்டியலின் படி, பா.ஜ., முன்னாள் தலைவர் பங்காரு லட்சுமணன் தமிழகத்தின் தேர்தல் பொறுப்பாளராகவும், தமிழக பா.ஜ., விவகாரங்களுக்கான பொறுப்பாளராக உத்தரகண்டின் முன்னாள் முதல்வர் பி.சி.கந்தூரியும் கவனிப்பர். முன்னாள் தமிழக பொதுச் செயலர் இல.கணேசன் இனி அந்தமான், நிகோபர் கட்சிப் பொறுப்புகளை கவனிப்பார். மகாராஷ்டிரா மற்றும் டில்லி மாநிலங்களுக்கு வெங்கையா நாயுடு, கட்சியின் அனைத்திந்திய சுற்றுப் பயணம் மற்றும் நிகழ்ச்சிகள் திட்டமிடலுக்குப் பொறுப்பாளராக கட்சியின் துணைத் தலைவர் முக்தர் அப்பாஸ் நக்வி நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர். கட்சியின் தலைமை செய்தித் தொடர்பாளரான ரவிசங்கர் பிரசாத், கட்சியின் ஊடகத் துறையின் தலைவராக செயல்படுவார். அதேபோல், ராஜஸ்தான் மாநில முன்னாள் முதல்வர் வசுந்தரா ராஜே, பக்கத்து மாநிலமான அரியானாவின் பொறுப்பாளராக நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார். வங்கதேசத்தை ஒட்டியுள்ள மாவட்டங்களில் தேர்தல் பிரசாரப் பொறுப்பாளராகப் பணியாற்ற வருண் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார். கட்சி துணைத் தலைவர் ஹேமமாலினி, கலாசாரத்துறைத் தலைவராகிறார். கல்வித் துறைக்கு, பேராசிரியர் சுகாதா பாண்டே பொறுப்பேற்பார்.

Girl Power!

Recently, Her Holiness Anandmurti Gurumaa gave a highly thought provoking, inspirational talk to the girls at a college in Nasik. The gist is as follows:

Traditionally in India, a woman has been addressed as a Devi, a goddess. On the face of it this may come across as a very noble gesture. However, actually this belies an underlying expectation of lifelong sacrifices for others. This selfish motive is disguised with a sugar coating of alleged reverence and results in a never-ending exploitation of women.

Right from the childhood, it is inculcated into a girl that her greatness lies in living for others – be it the husband, in-laws, and children. She is brainwashed into believing that a woman’s dignity lies in conforming to societal norms, customs and traditions. This is the goal of her life. There is no place whatsoever for her dreams, her aspirations, and her fulfillment.

It is hardly surprising then to see girls who have no particular ambition, pursuits or zest for life. Quite a few end up entering college to just get away from their homes, to enjoy their temporary freedom but have no objective in life other than getting married. Indeed, often education is viewed only as a means to ‘landing’ a sought after groom! And tragically, even if the girl pursues a professional career, often after her marriage, her in-laws will ask her to give up her job so that she can look after the family.

Marriage cannot be the sole objective of any girl’s life. Marriage itself brings in a truckload of responsibilities and yet more expectations. The daughter in-law is expected to abide by the rules and regulations of her ‘new’ home. More often than not, she is soon expected to produce an heir, a grandson and heaven forbid if she fails to do so! It is not that all in-laws are tormentors. However, in essence, before marriage a girl is dependent on her father/brother and this dependency is transferred to her husband/in-laws after her marriage. Her freedom and liberty are always at stake. The irony is that the girl is always led to believe that her husband’s home is her ‘real’ home – no wonder, even from God, her objective of fulfillment is getting a good husband!

Unfortunately this urge to move in to ‘her own home’ is further intensified sometimes when the girl sees her own mother being maltreated (be it by the father or paternal grandmother etc). She simply wants to escape this unhappy environment, little realizing that she may be jumping from the hot pan right on to the fire.

It is not that all girls lack a will, a motivation to better their lives by education. Nevertheless, I have seen strong-willed, educated, confident girls turning into meek lambs after marriage – desirous of only making their marriage work at any cost and suffering all exploitations, as they cannot deal with the possibility of getting ‘tarnished’ by the husband leaving them or divorcing them.

Moreover, their parents have spent so much money on the lavish wedding (and the hefty dowry!) and may even be in debt because of all this extravagant spending. This adds further emotional pressure on the girls to keep enduring all quietly.

Parents are ready to go to any lengths to get their daughters married, often incurring loans and debts, so that they can fulfill the demands of dowry - an evil yet rampant affliction of the society. Paradoxically, they never give a thought to the possibility of any untoward event happening in her marital home – like what if the husband turns out to be a drug addict, an alcoholic, a womanizer or suffer from a fatal disease like AIDS? What would be their strategy then?

There is a custom of matching astrological charts of the prospective bride and groom. However, I think it is imperative to ‘match’ medical records, especially in this era of sexual promiscuity and perversion. Women are increasingly being viewed as objects of sexual gratification. The graphic portrayals on television, easy access to Internet and pornography is aiding this further. How then can anyone know that the prospective groom is a virgin, does not have any sexually transmissible disease? We never give a thought to this. But I want you to think on these lines, as these are serious issues and concern your whole life.

It is a fact of today’s society that all the seemingly innocuous acts of girls ‘dating’ boys, going to the cinema, coffee shops; most of these apparently platonic encounters end up being an extended foreplay to sex. How would a girl know that the boy is a ‘safe’ boy? This is the reality and we cannot ignore it. It is best discussed in the open rather than brushing it under the carpet and pretending these issues do not exist.

Because of the age, because of the hormonal changes, it is natural for a girl to experience sexual urges and they should not feel guilty about that. However, they have to take a level headed decision as to what will be the right time and right way to explore these urges.

Romanticism is fine, but it has to be balanced by a composed, rational thinking. Friendship between the opposite sexes is absolutely fine, nothing wrong there. However, a girl should have a sharp sense of judgment; the boy should not end up taking advantage of her. Girls are emotionally more sensitive than boys; this is a well-known fact. Hence, they find it difficult to get over a broken relationship. This hampers their concentration on their education and also leaves a deleterious impact on their future life as well.

This brings me to the paramount question: why are you studying? Just to get a license of eligibility to get married? What after marriage? I am not disparaging a housewife – in fact, it is a very challenging job, especially the role of a mother is a very onerous one. However, it is a ‘thankless job’ and moreover without any salary!

It is said that behind every successful man there is a woman – it was the strong willed Jija Bai who was responsible for the great heights achieved by her son, Shivaji. A woman, a mother is the strongest institution in its own right. A mother is the first teacher any child encounters and she has the foremost influence in one’s nurturing and conditioning, affecting the overall personality. Becoming a mother is indeed a very responsible role for anyone to play. However, before a woman decides to do so – she should first herself become a strong, self-reliant, resilient individual and education is the key in achieving this.

Here it is important to understand that education is not just about procuring degrees – even if it is from prestigious institutions like the IITs and IIMs. It is not the degree, which is going to impart you with the qualities of fortitude, tenacity and self-belief. It is common to read in the newspapers about young people committing suicide – be it for poor marks, broken relationships or even an acerbic remark.

So, it is important to cultivate mental strength and resilience. Girls need to examine themselves and see where they stand on this front. How prepared are they to cope with life’s adversities? How will they deal with failures, with lack of fulfillment of desires, the prevalent cut-throat competitiveness – can they stay calm and think level headedly?

Girls need to become strong willed, independent individuals; this refers to both, financial and emotional independence. They also need to bear in mind that acquisition of a mere degree is not enough. It certainly helps, but is not sufficient on its own. Those who don’t have an aptitude for higher education or professional careers – should undergo some kind of a vocational training so that they can earn a livelihood.

One needs to have the feet firmly planted to the ground – be prepared for all the misfortunes, mishaps and hardships that one may encounter in one’s life. I am not saying be a pessimist but life is not a bed of roses and the sooner one accepts this, the better prepared they will be for all that comes their way.

Women have to be strong because the patriarchal society has already labeled women as a weaker section of the society. So a woman has to prove her worth every time in all walks of life. The society just waits for a woman to slip up before jumping to rip her reputation to pieces.

I once met a director of a private bank. This woman narrated her earlier harrowing days in the bank when she had no say at all, as her male colleagues would belittle her by saying that the only reason she got the post was because the position was reserved for a woman. They continued putting her down, notwithstanding her qualifications and experience! She decided to put an end to this persistent humiliation and fought for her rights and succeeded, eventually becoming the director of the bank.

Society ridicules a woman in many ways. So, either she is deemed a fool or revered as a Devi, nothing in between! However, it is every woman’s fundamental right to live a dignified life, be treated as a human being and work towards the fulfillment of her aspirations. Nobody should allow anyone to take this away from her. It should be a girl’s choice when to get married. Nobody should get married unless they want to and are well prepared for it.
And look at the way marriages are being arranged today. The only compatibility people seem to be interested in sorting is – wealth, prestige, physical appearance, social standing, and ability to give an enormous dowry! Horoscopes may be matched but no one bothers to check the compatibility on issues of personality, temperament, values, beliefs, and spiritual inclination…

In my opinion, a husband should be related to not as the lord but instead, as the dearest friend. The one with whom one can share anything and everything. For this though, first, women need to become wise and mature in their outlook to life. Be well versed with the social, political, economical, ecological environment of current times. Be a voracious reader, as books are the best tools not only to widen one’s knowledge base but also give creative upliftment (for e.g. reading poetry). One should also be well versed with practical know how – sorting out minor electrical glitches in the home, changing tyres of a car, accounting, banking, etc. How will anyone gain self-confidence if they are dependent on others even for trivial things?

Another aftermath of the prevalent male bigotry and chauvinism is the assumption that women are only good at doing household chores, i.e cooking and cleaning – how absurd is this! To dispel these unfounded statements, it is all the more important that girls learn practical skills needed in every aspect of daily life, learn and become adept in new skills. I have met women who find themselves in a helpless situation after the demise of their husbands – as they never ever learnt the basic, practical skills to live an independent life.

Girls should not only be concerned with their physical appearance, after all no one needs to tell a woman on how to beautify her! However, it is more important to enhance and beautify one’s mental and intellectual abilities. The more knowledge one seeks, the more knowledge is gained, the more beautiful one becomes. Mahatma Gandhi was not a very handsome man. But he had a beautiful mind and hence was admired by one and all.

All girls, all women should make it a priority to ‘beautify’ their brain, their mind. Reading gives the wings to soar high above the skies. They should cultivate some creative hobbies, like dancing. Dance is the best stress buster, best way to diffuse stress, anger.

Dream and take efforts to fulfill those dreams. But this will not happen by simply praying to God. Girls, you will have to work diligently towards this goal, only then will they get divine blessings. Some people complain that despite working hard they don’t get success, then they blame God. However, it is not God but one’s previous karmas, which result in failure.

Your karma is always going to be with you. No one can negate the karma theory just because some Hindu sage or seer has expounded it. It is a law of life. So, sometimes our own karma becomes an obstructive wall and we don’t get what we are looking for. But never be disheartened, always be grateful that one is alive and as long as one is alive, one can create more opportunities for oneself. So, why be disheartened?

Never get discouraged by failures. One needs to remain optimistic, remain balanced, as there will be many more golden opportunities, which will enrich you. As the adage goes – when one door is closed, there are many others that open. If you remain positive and calm, you will see other doors that have opened up for you; otherwise the negativity and depression will prevent you from seeing the other opportunities that have sprung up.

So never ever be disheartened for anything. Never ever cry just because you did not get what you wanted. The only time tears should roll down one’s eyes is when one is ecstatic, delirious in love or as an expression of gratitude.

It is always mind over matter – hence girls, believe in positive thinking and affirmations. Positive thinking combined with appropriate action brings in good karma.

I hope I have instilled zeal, a joie de vivre as the French would say, a zest for living life to its fullest, with dignity and freedom.

May this be the first day of the rest of your lives.

Source: http://www.gurumaa.com/content/educate-and-empower-girls.html